Spotted arrays, such as those made using the Affymetrix® 417™ Arrayer from Affymetrix, Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., are widely used to generate information about biological systems. Analysis of these data may lead to the development of new drugs and new diagnostic tools. As the uses of spotted arrays has expanded, the demand has increased for devices and methods capable of making larger numbers of spotted arrays in a reasonable time. In addition, because the spotting operation may take place over dozens of hours, there is an increased demand for greater automation of the process to reduce human interaction and to increase reliability and accuracy.